Working with illness

SalonGeek

Help Support SalonGeek:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Sbadey

Member
Joined
Sep 20, 2012
Messages
6
Reaction score
2
Location
Halifax
I’m currently self employed have been for 7 years I’ve got my own lovely salon in the last 3 years gone from renting a room to a 3 room salon.
I’m struggling with ongoing health issues. I have to have surgery at least twice a year. I had 4 months off poorly last year. It’s not planned poorly days unless it’s surgery days so I change and cancel apps. Lots of clients know ongoing issues briefly but I do get negative comments etc which really gets to me.
It’s also preventing me from growing as big as I want to be so not sure weather to stop altogether as just go round in circles.

Is anyone else dealing with similar situation?
 
I feel for you.

I too struggle with health issues, but you can't run a business if you aren't well. A business is like a baby - you can't ever leave it to its own devices for a bit.

Sadly my experience is that no-one will run your business for you. Instead try and manage the business and your health together. You'll need to think outside the box. Can you rent out a room to help cover your rent? Can you trade 3-4 days a week say Wednesday - Saturday? Or Short hours 12-6? Try and work out how to scale the business back to a level that you can manage. If that means being a commercial landlord and just seeing your best clients 2 days a week, so be it.

Sending hugs xx
 
You have my sympathy too.

I have a rare condition that made me ill throughout my adult life until diagnosis 6 years ago. I had to give up my dream of running my own beauty business because I just wouldn't have been reliable enough. Fortunately I am now on life-long treatment that has improved my condition tremendously (although it's not a cure) and in 2016 I was finally in a position where I felt I could do it!

Could you set up from home and maybe reduce your hours so there's some flexibility when you're unwell? That's what I have done and so far it's worked very well. But I know my limitations and working full-time with back to back clients just isn't feasible for me. We need to look after ourselves!

I hope you can find a good solution that will work for you x
 
Thanks x
Yes I’ve started renting a room out to a lash lady and looking for a nail tech too. I just feel really bad letting clients down. The sarcastic comments some say and the ‘poorly again’ just deflates me too.

Feel like I can’t run it properly eg I don’t take deposits as I think I cancel so if I said deposits needed it’s not fair.
I make up the cancellation times whenever they want. I rarely say no to anyone. My phone is constant beeping at stupid times too. But feel cause I’ve let them down j can’t put strict rules in about apps, working days, out of hours calls etc x
 
Oh dear. I think you will have to re-evaluate. All this stress won't be helping your health either.
 
As if you haven't enough on your plate and you have moaning clients on you back. It really shows you which clients you should keep.

Becoming a landlord is a great idea , and 2 days with your best clients.!
A few ideas about rental people would be
Chropodists/ podiatrists
Physiotherapists
Astheticians trained in fillers/ botox/
Microblading or other eyebrow services technician
Good wishes to you x
 
I’m currently self employed have been for 7 years I’ve got my own lovely salon in the last 3 years gone from renting a room to a 3 room salon.
I’m struggling with ongoing health issues. I have to have surgery at least twice a year. I had 4 months off poorly last year. It’s not planned poorly days unless it’s surgery days so I change and cancel apps. Lots of clients know ongoing issues briefly but I do get negative comments etc which really gets to me.
It’s also preventing me from growing as big as I want to be so not sure weather to stop altogether as just go round in circles.

Is anyone else dealing with similar situation?

I’ve got a hip problem and while most of the time it doesn’t affect my work, I do schedule big gaps between appointments. If I sit in the same position too long it gets stuck and sometimes doesn’t come out for days. One lady was really rude and was telling me she wanted a different appointment to the one she had booked and why this and why that all about my tan timings. It’s a 45min appt. Form, undress, tan, redress, aftercare, payment and rebooking. I have to include rest time at the end so nobody can book too close to it. She moaned it was 45mins long as it only takes 2mins. She was here for an entire hour whinging. It would have taken 10mins if she could read a health form and undress at a normal speed without the third degree but I always have to expect they will take ages or I can be left stuck. I didn’t give a crap and sod her if she doesn’t come back.

Everyone else, nobody has ever mentioned it really and my regulars were really supportive when I was off for 3 months. A client shared whooping cough with me! I was completely ruined and am still recovering, I catch anything that’s within 10 feet of me, my immune system is shot and people don’t care when I explain they need to cancel if they are sick. I wear masks and gloves and they question why I’m wearing them and act like I have a problem with them as if they are diseased. Which I do because they are!! I have no problem saying so. One fella sneezed on my door and it was so gross it stained the paintwork, I told him off! Bloody disgusting.

I worked like a couple hours a week while recuperating and they were more worried that I was ok than that I couldn’t fit them in their usual times. One was really understanding when the cough first hit. I thought I was having an asthma attack during her facial and excused myself for 20mins and put a mask on so I didn’t splutter on her. I really ruined her treatment and don’t know how I finished it. That was the last day I was able to get out of bed for 3 months apart from those odd couple hours where I’d use all my energy I had to work and then get back to bed. Should clarify I wasn’t contagious after 5 days of medication, but the medical alert the doctor put out about my disease status was very cringey.

So, don’t give a crap about any negative comments about your health and the way you do things unless they are constructive. Your health trumps any client.
 
When I first started I wasn't very well, but I had the opportunity to grab a lease for a good location for a salon. I had two tenants who paid the lease and I just worked behind the scenes for a while.

I found answering the phone and being nice to clients very easy - so I started to come in one day a week and just help out as an unpaid receptionist. My tenants were on a percentage split so I made money if I booked them up.

Even if it had taken me until 12 to get out of bed, I still added enough value to the business for it to be worth while.
Now that I work full time as a working therapist I often think back to those days. I wanted to expand my business and never turn an enquiry away - so I got bigger and I'm proud, but actually what I would advise my younger self would be to stay working front of house 2 days a week with a couple of self employed tenants grateful for my help...

So don't be afraid of the choices and decisions in front of you. Put your energy into being resourceful and creative rather than being a slave to your landlord!

Wishing you all the very best
 
Thankyou all. It’s good to hear not on my own and the support. While I’m off next week having surgery going to have a good think about things and options xx love what I do and love my little shop xx
 

Latest posts

Back
Top